The document provides advice for creating success in life and business, outlining 12 keys to a successful life that include being passionate about your work, surrounding yourself with positive people, and taking a win-win approach in relationships. It also discusses the importance of the entrepreneur's personality, skills, experience, and values in determining a new venture's performance. Finally, it identifies characteristics of successful organizations like being financially smart, customer-driven, and having a unified focus and execution mindset.

1. Creating The Conditions For Success In
Life and Business
September 15, 2015
Ed Robinson

2. 2
"Our life evokes our character and you find out more about yourself
as you go on.”
-Joseph Campbell
"A talent can be cultivated in tranquility; a character only in the
rushing stream of life."
-Goethe
“The line between failure and success is so fine that we scarcely
know when we pass it – so fine that we often are on the line and do
not know it.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Seek out that particular mental attribute which makes you feel
most deeply and vitally alive, along with which comes your inner
voice which says, “this is the real me,” and when you have found
that attitude, follow it…”
-Henry James

3. 3
First, Some Thoughts on Adversity
• Adversity is a part of every individual life – none of us are
immune
• Everyone handles adversity differently and this is okay,
but “know thyself”
• Adversity almost always provides opportunities for
personal and professional growth
• Adversity can build or destroy character
• Character building requires mental/emotional/physical
fortitude and perseverance
• A life is defined by both its triumphs and tragedies
• The journey is just as important as the destination
• It’s better to work smart than hard; don’t make it any
harder than it has to be

4. 4
Survival Means…
• Reactive rather than Proactive action
• Living day to day; can’t see the forest for the trees
• A considerable amount of time spent firefighting;
constantly managing daily stresses
• Missed opportunities due to resource constraints; regular
cash flow challenges
• “No” is your instinctual first reaction; risk aversion
predominates
• Problem identification not solution creation is the norm
• Rationalization becomes part of the regular discourse and
dialogue; you feel boxed in by constraints
• Sticking to a potentially flawed or dated world view
• Work is a necessary burden to be carried rather than a
vocation to be embraced
• Making life decisions based on someone else’s view of
success and happiness

5. 5
SUCCESS IN LIFE

6. 6
12 Keys To A Successful Life
1. Be yourself, but be the best YOU that you can be;
leverage your strengths and manage your weaknesses
2. No one is ever successful alone; share the credit and
create opportunities for contribution and growth for those
around you
3. Your success and happiness is directly attributable to
the people you spend the most time with; they can
broaden or narrow your perspective; they can motivate or
de-motivate you; they will set positive examples or they
won’t – it’s that simple
4. Work life balance is an illusion, just make sure that you
spend focused quality time with your loved ones and
close friends

7. 7
12 Keys To A Successful Life
(Cont’d)
5. Have a passion and spend time cultivating that passion on
a regular basis; by the way, your work CAN be that passion
6. Act like the work you do matters each and every day,
because it does to someone (hopefully starting with you)
7. Once you think you know it all, you are finished, find
something else to do; arrogance is never attractive and
only ends up making you vulnerable to what you don’t know
in the long run
8. Active listening is equally if not more important than
talking, especially if you are trying to win someone over to
your point of view

8. 8
12 Keys To A Successful Life
(Cont’d)
9. In all your business and life dealings take a Win-Win
approach to the relationship, it will create positive energy
and cultivate a lifelong network of supporters and fans; the
rewards of this investment will only compound over time
10.Avoid the trap of unnecessary conflict every chance
you get; fighting battles not worth fighting is a waste of time
and energy
11.The true test of any relationship is when one of the parties
is facing adversity; be there for the important people in
your life when it truly matters
12.Have things in your life that keep you grounded,
whatever that means to you

9. 9
SUCCESS IN BUSINESS

10. 10
Source : Chrisman, James J., Alan Bauerschmidt,, and Charles W.
Hofer. 1998. “The Determinants of New Venture Performance : An
Extended Model.” Entrepreneurship : Theory & Practice. Vol. 23. No.
1.
Determinants of New Venture Performance :
The Entrepreneur
• The survival and success of a new venture will be a function of the
behaviors and decisions of the entrepreneur
• The entrepreneur’s personality, skills, experience, and values affect the
entrepreneur’s behavior and decisions
• The resources assembled by a new venture are influenced by the skills and
experience of the entrepreneur
• The industry which the venture enters, and hence industry structure, is
influenced by the skills and experience of the entrepreneur
• The entrepreneur’s skills, experience, personality, and values will affect
the formulation of the venture’s business strategy
• The entrepreneur’s skills, experience, personality, and values will affect
the configuration of the venture’s organizational structure
An entrepreneur affects a new venture in the following six ways :

11. 11
Determinants of New Venture Performance :
Entrepreneurial Variables
Source : Chrisman, James J., Alan Bauerschmidt,, and Charles W.
Hofer. 1998. “The Determinants of New Venture Performance : An
Extended Model.” Entrepreneurship : Theory & Practice. Vol. 23. No.
1.
Personality Characteristics
• Autonomy
• Confidence
• Locus of control
• Need for achievement
• Need for affiliation
• Need for power
• Personality type
• Risk-taking propensity
• Self-reliance
• Tolerance for ambiguity
Values & Beliefs
• Contribution to society
• Power
• Security
• Status
• Wealth
Experience & Education
• Age
• Entrepreneurial parents
• Experience in founding
companies
• Experience in large firm
• Experience in similar
positions
• Formal education
• General management
experience
• Industry experience
• Pre-startup training
• Shared experience of
founders
• Start-up experience
Behaviors & Decisions
•Ability to focus on
essentials
• Decision-making process
• Flexibility
• Goal direction
• Length of work day
• Management style
• Organizing
• Planning
• Problem analysis
• Risk-reducing behavior
Skills
• Communication skills
• Financial skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Managerial skills
• Manufacturing skills
• Marketing skills
• Organizational skills
• Personnel skills
• Technical skills

12. 12
Six Things Every Small Business
Should Accomplish
(Please give a Letter Grade (A-F including +/-)
• Generate business from new customers
• Maximize revenues from existing customers
• Manage operations efficiently to maximize bottom
line
• Meet and/or exceed customer product/service
expectations
• Recruit and retain good employees
• Create an environment of Innovation and
Continuous Improvement

13. 10 Things Entrepreneurs Should Never
Say — to Themselves
• “I deserve a reward for all my sacrifice.”
• “I just need a great idea…”
• “We don’t have enough money.”
• “Our customers are incredibly loyal.“
• “I can trust them…”
• “My employees are one big happy family.”
• “If we just make a few more cuts we’ll be fine…”
• “I’m just like any other member of our team.”
• “Word of mouth will eventually pay off.”
• “I shouldn’t step in.”
13
Source: Jeff Haden, June 21, 2011

14. 14
Successful Organizations Are FOCUSED
• F = FINANCIALLY SMART
• O = OPERATIONALLY EFFECTIVE
• C = CUSTOMER/CLIENT DRIVEN
• U = UNIFIED IN TERMS OF FOCUS AND
DIRECTION
• S = SALES CULTURE
• E = EXECUTION MINDSET
• D = DECISIVE

15. 15
• Financially Smart = Understands profit
model requirements and working
capital/cash needs and plans accordingly
• Operationally Effective = Easy to do
business with; workflow is smooth and
well managed
• Customer Driven = Strives to know what
their customers/clients value and
proactively gives it to them
• Unified in terms of focus and direction
= Everyone is on the same page with
priorities
• Active Sales Culture = Everyone
understands and owns the importance of
sales/new business development
• Execution Mindset = Priorities are clear;
there is shared commitment to focused
execution
• Decisive = Makes thoughtful and timely
decisions; clarity not certainty
• Financially Challenged = Spends profits
before they earn them; always on the
verge of a financial crunch
• Operationally Ineffective = Crisis
management is the norm; chronically
understaffed/stressed
• Customer Ignorant = Takes a we know
best, “push” approach to meeting
customer/client needs; minimal research
• Lack of clear focus and direction =
People make it up as the go along
• Passive Sales Culture = Passively
builds clients relationships; waits for
business to walk in the door;
• Idea Factory = Easily distracted by new
and/or different opportunities; everyone
has a different opinion on what’s best
• Indecisive = Difficulty making big
decisions; procrastinates; analysis
paralysis

16. Some Standard Measures of Success
• Sales/Revenue Growth
• Recurring Revenue %
• Gross Profit/Sales
• Net Profit/EBIT
• Overhead/Sales
• Operational Efficiency,
e.g., Labor cost as a % of
sales
• Sales per Sq. Ft./Cost per
Sq. Ft.
• Work Backlog
• Cash Flow, e.g., Days of
Cash On Hand
• Inventory Turns
• Total Cost per Employee
• Average Days AR/AP
• Employee Satisfaction
• Sales per Employee
• Sales Pipeline
• Average Sales
Transaction
• Market Share %
• Repeat Customer
Business
• Customer Retention
• Foot Traffic
• Website Traffic
• Customer Satisfaction
• Net Promoter Score
• Other?
16

17. THE LEADERSHIP WHEEL
LEADERSHIP
YOUR LIFE
YOUR
ROLE
YOUR
ACTIONS
YOUR
KNOWLEDGE
YOUR TEAM
YOUR
DECISIONS
YOUR
WORDS
Balanced & Happy
To Lead
& Facilitate
Consistent
& Effective
“Green
& Growing”
Thoughtful
& Empowering
Fact Based
& Inclusive
Aligned
& Committed

18. 18
“All men (and women) seek one goal: success
or happiness. The only way to achieve true
success is to express yourself completely in
service to society. First, have a definite, clear,
practical ideal – a goal, an objective. Second,
have the necessary means to achieve your
ends – wisdom, money, materials and methods.
Third, adjust all your means to that end.
- Aristotle

19. Ed Robinson
Capacity Building Solutions Inc./
Vistage International
(301) 624-5686
robin_ed@capacity-building.com
www.capacity-building.com
www.vistage.com
www.linkedin.com/in/edrobinson